Spiegle Willcox

Early Jazz trombonist, most famous for his involvement with Bix Beiderbecke and Jean Goldkette And His Orchestra. Born 2 May 1903 in Sherbourne, Chenango County, New York, USA. Died 25 August 1999 in Cortland, New York, USA. Youngest of four children and only son of Lynn Dee and May Newell Willcox of the village of Sherbourne, Chenango County, New York. In 1927, Spiegle “retired” from the music business to run his father’s coal business. Spiegle led the company’s transition to fuel oil and developed a successful business while running a big band on the weekends in the Cortland, Ithaca, and Syracuse areas. Occasionally, old friends like Benny Goodman, the Dorsey brothers, and others would drop by to jam. His active life, which always included music, kept his chops in shape for his “rediscovery” in the 1970s. His association with Bix Beiderbecke brought him recognition that he continued to enjoy until his unexpected death at 96.